Ghost
by Incara
Summary: Come sit with me under the shade of the wind and listen to the hum, deaf to many minds. Listen and remember why you first came... KohakuxChihiro
1. Unknown Tears

I do not own any part of Spirited away. I hope you enjoy my story!

***

~Ghost~

Darkness drew into the room as the sun slipped below the curved horizon. Shadows stretched across the wooden floor and crept farther and farther into the room. The door creaked open and a worker with long brown hair edged her way in. She tip-toed across the room and placed a cream-colored sheet on the heavy wooden desk. A man sat behind the desk his head resting on the back of the leather chair. His eyes were closed and he breathed quietly as he slept.

The women smiled as the man continued in his sleep, and moved carefully back to the brown door. Sliding her feet closer and closer to the exit she quickened her pace. Suddenly pain shot through her foot as bits of wood pierced the arch of her foot. She yelped lightly and fell to the side into a desk containing many papers, quills, and other stationary. Ink jars clattered to the floor and paper fluttered to the ground. Frightened the woman scrambled to pick up the supplies. As she reached for a white feathered quill a hand rested on her shoulder while another gripped around the thin feather. The woman's eyes darted up and rested upon the man's dark green hair shielding his face from hers.

Without speaking the two picked up the parchment and cleaned the ink spills. The two stood and brushed the dirt from their clothes. The man brushed his hair out of his eyes and he gazed tiredly at the woman. "I'm sorry I woke you Kohaku." The woman bowed deeply and inched closer to the door.

"Don't worry about it Lyn, would you like some tea?" Kohaku asked walking over to the desk and sipping tea from a frosted glazed cup.

Lyn shook her head and replied, "No, I need to get back to work. You need to get some sleep too."

"I've slept long enough." Kohaku spat back and slid into his leather cushioned seat and pulled the newly delivered profit listing towards him.

'Kohaku, you haven't slept soundly for about a year now. You need all the rest you can possibly get." Lyn rose her voice and then stomped up to the front of the desk.

His emerald eyes shot up and carefully watched the woman, "And how would you know that?"

Lyn recoiled slightly and replied, "The workers, they say… they say they hear you scream at night."

The fierceness in his eyes faded as the words slipped from her lips. He folded his hands in front of his face and he leaned his forehead on his laced fingers. A sigh escaped his peach colored lips and his warm breath wavered across Lyn's fingers that were gripping the edge of the desk. "Do you believe in ghosts, Lyn?"

A loud chuckle flooded the room and Lyn gripped her stomach as the laughter began to cramp her mussels. "Of course, what are we if there's no such thing?"

A light rose color rose to his pale face as the woman continued to laugh at his ridicules question. His hair shimmered as orbs of light appeared in the room. "Have you gone crazy in the last five years?" Lyn chuckled.

"And if I have?" Kohaku yelled.

Fangs glittered in his mouth as anger flooded through his body. "What if I have gone crazy?!"

Lyn pulled back away from him as scales grew over his smooth skin. "I see her!"

"Always, I see her. She' gone, I know that. But why? Why can't I forget?" Kohaku shook as foreign tears raced down his face.

"You loved her?" Lyn's frightened face softened as she watched the man squirm in his pain.

Kohaku shook his head many times in an un-understandable fashion. Lyn walked forward and held his shivering head in her hands, "Did you love her?"

"No." Kohaku whispered.

Lyn looked sadly into Kohaku's green eyes.

"I do." He finished

The view of the two shot back, doors opened and the two figures grew smaller and smaller. Across a field, into a temple, out of a forest, and into a city. Back to a sleeping woman, her brown hair pulled back into a loose pony tail. Her eyes shot open and words slipped from her lips, " I know your name."

**

End of chapter one. Short I know, and I'm sorry, this was just a spur of the moment thing. Please R&R, and thanks for reading!

~Incara~


	2. Dream

I do not own any of Spirited Away.

Chapter 2 ~Dream~

***

Birds twittered just outside a glass window, as the first light of that day found it's way to the crowded apartments just south of a busy city. Light filtered in the small apartment and brightened the face of a sleeping woman. She stirred and her brown eyes opened just to close at the brightness of the room. She pushed herself up and stretched her hand up towards the ceiling. She patted her messy hair and pulled the hair tie out. She gazed at the shining thread and placed the strand on her night stand and began to walk down the to her bathroom. After showering, she dressed and readied herself for work that day. Returning to her room, her eyes again rested on the hair band. She turned away from it, "Time to move on Chihiro."

She ran out to her kitchen, shoved a frosted pastry in her mouth and ran out the door. Puddles splashed up on the bottom of her pants, and rain poured down around her. Covering her head with her hand she ran a little faster. Chihiro arrived at her small restaurant and quickly unlatched the locks and ran in. Shivering from the cold, she stripped off her jacket and walked to the back of the restaurant. "Did you sleep in?" a man asked poking his head out from the kitchen.

"Nah I couldn't sleep. I had a night mare." Chihiro replied.

"Aw, is Chihiro scared of a little nightmare?" The man mocked in a childish voice.

"Well, it wasn't really scary, it was just-"

"A realization that you really don't want to accept?" The man sat on top of a table in front of Chihiro and rubbed his hands on a musty-white towel.

"Kind of, and also a memory I want to forget…" Chihiro rubbed her hand against her fore head.

"Why would you want to forget a memory? It's a part of you, which makes you…" he kissed Chihiro's cheek, "you."

Chihiro blushed and returned the kiss on the man's bottom lip. "Okino, you're a schmooze."

Okino laughed, "But see where it got me?"

Chihiro laughed in return and began pulling plates out of the dish racks. Okino pulled Chihiro around and hugged her to himself. He captured her lips with his and held them there. Chihiro pulled away and pushed the man farther away from her. "Okino, please stop."

He looked at her confused, and leaned back on the counter behind him. "What was your dream about?"

Chihiro bit her lip and recited, "A man. In pain."

"Who?" Okino asked truly worried about his long time girlfriend.

"A boy that I met when I first moved here." Chihiro replied and began working on other things trying to leave the subject.

"Boy or man?" Okino now laughed lightly.

"Well I suppose a man now." Chihiro sighed and then began yelling, "If you think it' so funny why'd you ask?"

"Well I-" Okino started.

"Competition right?" Chihiro closed her eyes.

"No, no. It hurts me when you're in pain." Okino replied softly.

Chihiro looked up to him and smiled. "Thanks for caring."

Chihiro gripped him in a close hug. The back door of the restaurant shot open and banged again the brick wall. Cold air blew in and the two rushed to close it. "What was that?" Okino asked as the latch clicked.

"Ghosts?" Chihiro replied quietly.

"Heh, right…" Okino laughed.

Chihiro leaned her head against the metal door and closed her eyes. She remembered falling, crying, and saying goodbye. None of those things hurt as bad as the dream she had the night before. Tears fell from her eyes as she remembered the scene. The man she had hoped to forget struggled in pain, because of her. She imagined his arms wrap around her as the tears came faster and faster. His smooth skin brushing against hers, and his sharp emerald eyes looking deep into her dull brown ones. His lips move towards her ears and his mouth began to move, but she couldn't hear what he said. The cruel daydream around her faded, but the tears didn't cease. She reached to her hair to hold the last thing she had of that world and only grasped air. She felt so alone, so lost. She wished like she never had before that the man in her dreams would suddenly appear, like he use to many years ago, and comfort her tears. But no soothing words came, no gentle touch calmed her. Through cracked, dry lips she whispered so none could hear, "Kohaku."

**

Again short, sorry about that. I have a feeling that they are going to be mostly short chapters. Please R&R, and thanks for reading.


	3. Something Else

I do not own any part of Spirited away. Please enjoy this next chapter!

~Something else~

**

Kohaku reached for a pail of water and gently poured its contents onto his head. The herbal scent of the water filled the bathing room he was in, and soaked itself into his hair. After rubbing soap on his skin he rinsed and wrapped a white robe around his body. He ringed the water from his hair that fell just past his shoulders, and then he began to collect his cloths that he had worn. The door to the room slid open and a young female worker skipped in to begin cleaning the room. She hummed as she pulled cloths out of a pail she carried, and began to scrub the bath.

Kohaku watched the girl and began to try to place a name with her face, but failed. He walked towards the door, not disturbing her from her work. She looked up at him and stood quickly, "Sorry sir, I thought no own was in this room."

Kohaku was silent for a short time and then replied, "Its fine, I was finished."

The girl bowed and continued scrubbing the porcelain tub. Kohaku left the room, slid on his sandals, and began walking back towards his room. He pushed open the sliding door and entered his small, square room. He tied the robe tighter around his waist and then pulled on a white hakama and tied it around his waist, also, with a sea foam-blue rope. Kohaku then slide his arms through another robe, the same color as the rope, which stopped at his knees. Exiting the room, he slid the door shut and walked towards the main compound of the bath house. He passed by customers and workers alike and nodded to a couple in a hello.

He paused as a familiar shadow floated by and acknowledged Kohaku's presents. It continued on and disappeared as it had appeared, quickly. He found himself wondering the bath house more than anything anymore. The popularity of the house had gone down in the past years, and no one was ever busy. Kohaku leaned against the rough wooden wall in the boiler room and looked to the old boiler man as he awakened from his sleep. Kamaji coughed a few times and waved one of his hands as a greeting to Kohaku. "Hello, Kohaku. I haven't seen you down here for awhile, what brings you here?"

Kohaku closed his eyes and replied in a short tone, "Nothing really."

"I see, well stay as long as you like." The man grumbled as he started on work that he had neglected.

"How have you been Kamaji?" Kohaku asked opening his eyes and gazed thoughtfully at the man.

"Old." He replied in a rough laugh.

Kohaku didn't reply, he just continued to watch the small puffs of black scurry around his feet. He pulled one from the ground and held in the palm of his hand. Nervously it moved from one side of his hand to the other, it gazed at him thoroughly frightened. Raising his other hand, the puff of dust flinched, and Kohaku dropped it from his hand. He was in a foul mood; everything seemed to make it worse. Stepping back onto the wooden platform he slid into a sitting position. "Something wrong Kohaku?" Kamaji asked looking over his perch high above the man.

"No." Kohaku replied bitterly, he was enjoying the silence of words in the boiler room.

"You've become a bad liar." The man's face became etched with wrinkles as his mouth formed a smiled.

Kohaku's gaze darted towards the man. It would have killed him, were it possible. "And you've become far too nosy."

"I've heard stories about you recently." The man leaned his saggy head on his boney hand. "The workers are losing confidence in you. At least Yubaba had money coming in."

The dragon boy twitched in anger as he was compared to the hag who had left the bath house to him after her defeat by Chihiro. He hated how she was higher than him, but no matter how he hated it, Kamaji, and the worker were right. Yubaba at least kept the bath house running properly. "Do you have nothing to say in your defense Kohaku?"

He was against admitting defeat, but gave in shortly after the elderly spirit's question. "No."

"You know Kohaku," The man scratched his stringy white mustache, "You could use some help. Why not that young girl… what's her name?"

"Chihiro…?" Kohaku replied in a monotone voice.

"That was her name! What about her?" The man gazed towards Kohaku with a knowing look.

"No, I won't bring her back here. She has a life I'm sure." Kohaku stood and brushed off soot from his clothes.

"Well then, figure out something else." Kamaji turned and continued to work.

Kohaku then excused himself from the man's presents and exited the side door. He stood on rickety pieces of ply wood nailed together crudely. He began to walk the stair to the up levels when a board snapped behind him and fell into the raging sea. Kohaku looked back to the space where the board once resided and walked slow to it. He knelt down and gazed at it, almost intrigued by it. As he concluded that there was nothing left to see, his rose. But he stopped in a half standing position and gazed at the boards next to the one that had fallen. They bent downwards as if a person was standing on them, they moaned as pressure was applied to them, as they had when Kohaku crossed them. He looked further up to see nothing but clear air, emptiness. He reached his hand forward, and grasped the air in front of him. When he felt nothing he pulled back his hand and gazed to the sky. He turned and continued walking. Touching the metal wall beside him, he thought of Kamaji's words.

"Figure out something else."He almost laughed.

His skin, that almost glowed in the bright sun , formed scales, and his hands stretched into long brown claws, sharp and deadly. Fangs began molding from his teeth, as white as snow. Once his body was completely transformed, he propelled himself off the wall leaving scratches and tears in the dull metal. He slithered through the air, pressing farther and farther away from the bath house. He shot off and became a shining speck in the sky. He wasn't running, far from that, he was finding the woman who started his pain. And he planned to make her fix it, or there would be hell for her to pay.

**

End of chapter 3. I hope you enjoyed it, I must say I've enjoyed writing this story a lot more than the other stories I've started. Please review this story for me and tell me your thoughts. Thank you!


	4. But we Already Have

Sorry again that it took so long to update (School's got me bogged down)

Chapter 4:

*But we already have*

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"Okino stop!" Chihiro angrily yelled at the man who was childishly running around the empty chairs of the restaurant.

"Oh come on Chi, I was just having a bit of fun. There was one time that you had that too." Okino wrinkled his nose and crossed his arms.

"I'm just not in the mood today." Chihiro continued to clean the tables of the day's grim.

The sun had by now fallen to the horizon and deep hues of maroon and purple were painted in the sky. The wind picked up slightly, and clouds began to roll in again. The moist sent the air carried tickled Chihiro's nose. Chihiro locked the front door of the establishment, the small click echoed in the main area. "Heading home?" Okino asked, "I think I'm going to go out with some friends. Want to join?"

Chihiro squeezed her hands together; she wanted to escape her dreams as long as she could. "Um-"

The scent of blood filled Chihiro's senses, blood and herbs.

"Do you smell that Okino?" Chihiro asked frightened.

Okino sniffed loudly, "The storm? Yeah, but don't worry if it gets to bad I'll drive you home."

"No not that. The blood." Chihiro looked the room quickly.

Okino's face scrunched in confusion," I don't smell blood."

"But… but I smell it! It's-"

"I get it, I get it… If you don't want to come that's fine. But at least let me drive you home, you haven't been acting right lately." Okino grabbed his jacket and began to drag Chihiro to his car.

"I'm not crazy Okino, I smell blood." Chihiro tried to pull herself from his grasp.

"I know you're not crazy Chi." Okino place his hand on her forehead, "Your mind works better than any person I know. I think… I think it's just a little over worked, you know?"

Chihiro looked up at him with watery eyes. She began to cry again, then she embraced him never wanting to let go. "Thank you Okino."

Okino smiled softly, "No worries Chihiro. Let's get you home."

The ride home was a quiet one. Okino drove with one hand, his other rested on Chihiro's lap. Her hand squeezed his as tight as she could. The rain began just after the sun disappeared and darkness settled in over the city. Okino stopped at Chihiro's apartment and said, "Now try to get some sleep." He gave Chihiro's hand a gentle squeeze. "And if you have another dream, just remember they're not real, okay?"

Chihiro nodded and left the car. She ran quickly to the door of her house and entered inside. She flipped on the lights and walked back to her room. She pulled on her pajamas and slipped into her bed. Chihiro closed her eyes but quickly opened them again. She reached for her pink hair band and squeezed it within her hands. Again she closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep.

_Another one… terrific… Okino will be worried again…. When will they stop? _

"Yubaba! You know you can fix this, everyone does. Why leave me the bath house any way? Do you just want to torture me?" a silky voice shouted from the corner of a familiar hut.

"Oh quite boy, how dare you come to my sister's home and terrorize her and me! You deserve every bit of torture that you are receiving; if you hadn't disobeyed me you wouldn't have these problems." A cracked woman's voice replied.

"Don't blame this on me, this was-"

A blast of some unknown energy shot from the woman and hit the man in his chest. The man slammed against the wall behind him. The scent of blood and herbs filled the room.

_Wait… _

"Fuck…." The man weakly began.

_I know this smell…. _

"…you."

_…At the restaurant… _

The man's silhouette changed to one of a monster.

_Did this really happen? _

The shadow enclosed on the woman and blood began to fall like rain.

_All this time I wanted to be reunited… _

The darkness of the room lifted and Kohaku stood in his human form, drenched in blood. His hand raised and he brushed the hair from in front of his eyes.

_All this time… and we already have been… _

There was a slam, the door banged against the wall. Wind rushed in, startling Kohaku. He gazed at the door, almost confused. Then he said in a monotone voice, "So the ghost returns."

---

I hope that wasn't too confusing… I may edit it if I find it was. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please R&R.


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